A cyclist was fighting for life today after being crushed under a lorry while riding a Boris bike.

The man, believed to be in his twenties, was in a critical condition with head, pelvis and chest injuries following the accident involving a tipper truck in Gray’s Inn Road.

Matt Fisher, from Barnet, who works in an office nearby, said: “He was breathing, but not moving. There was no blood, but he was being stabilised and his head and neck were being put in protective gear. It was clear he was in bad way.” Another witness said: “I was walking along and I heard the impact, it was a thud and a crunch, and then the lorry went over him.

“After that he was crying out and he was holding his middle section. It’s incredible that he survived.”

The accident happened on Friday at about 1pm. An air ambulance landed in Gray’s Inn gardens and took the cyclist to the Royal London Hospital in Mile End.

The driver of the tipper truck was arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and later bailed.

There have been no fatal accidents on the cycle hire scheme since it was introduced in July 2010, according to Transport for London.

A TfL spokesman said: “Serious incidents involving Barclays cycle hire bikes are thankfully extremely rare and we will assist the Metropolitan police and the local highway authority with their investigation into this incident.”